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Dave Hughes’s Retire Fabulously: The Truth About Medicare (Dis)Advantage
The following was re-printed with permission from Retire Fabulously
By Dave Hughes
I turned 65 in early 2022, and I’ve been enjoying the benefits of traditional Medicare ever since. It’s one of retirement’s greatest benefits. It has lowered my healthcare costs and made obtaining care easier. It’s the system I wish I had throughout my working career.
In the year preceding my 65th birthday, I received a deluge of advertisements touting the benefits of various Medicare Advantage plans and urging me to sign up.
Prior to that, I had no clue how Medicare Advantage plans worked and no idea what I’d choose. So, I did a lot of research. A lot. After all, those Medicare Advantage plans seemed to be offering more coverage (including prescription drugs, dental, vision, and hearing) – all for little or no premium! Why wouldn’t I choose that? It seemed too good to be true!
Of course, like all things that seem too good to be true, it is. I’ll show you why in this article.
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Dave Hughes’s Retire Fabulously Celebrates 10 Years!
How exciting! My friend, fellow author, and website wonder Dave Hughes just celebrated 10 years of his Retire Fabulously website. I”ll let him tell you about it. With any luck, he’ll let me share some of his new articles here (hint, Dave):
Retire Fabulously! is 10 years old!
Ten years ago, on July 14, 2013, I posted my first entry into a crazy new blog I started called Retire Fabulously! My intention then, as it remains today, is to help you envision, plan for, and enjoy the best retirement possible. -
Dave Hughes of Retire Fabulously: Why Pay More? Stretch Your Dollars with Senior Discounts!
This article first appeared at RetireFabulously.com. Reprinted with permission.
By Dave Hughes
There are many advantages to being retired. One of the biggest perks, and certainly one that will keep more money in your pocket, is… Senior Discounts!
You probably already know that some restaurants offer them, and you know that if you belong to AARP (the American Association of Retired Persons), that card can bring you numerous discounts and benefits.
There are several websites that offer extensive lists of senior discounts. Here are a few of the larger ones.
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Dave Hughes of Retire Fabulously: Is Your Retirement Fulfilling … or Just Busy?
Dave Hughes This article first appeared at RetireFabulously.com. Reprinted with permission.
By Dave Hughes
RetireFabulously.com
If you ask many retired people what their life is like, they will probably tell you that they are as busy as ever. Every day is full of errands, shopping, household chores, yard work, TV and movies, club meetings, and all sorts of other things. Their calendars are filled with events, appointments, and get-togethers.
After you retire and you no longer have to go into work every day, it seems like everything else expands, multiplies, and rushes in to consume the time you used to work. You may wonder how you ever had time to work and still get everything else done.
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Dave Hughes: The New Normal – Time for a Retirement Reset
This article first appeared at RetireFabulously.com. Reprinted with permission.
Dave Hughes Dave Hughes
RetireFabulously.comThe New Normal: Time for a Retirement Reset
As of April 19, about 40% of the people in the United States have received at least one vaccine shot and many of us in the older age brackets have received both. The pandemic isn’t over by any means, and it will continue to be a factor in our lives for many months to come, but there’s good reason for hope.
Like many people across the nation and around the world, you are probably eagerly anticipating a return to some form of normalcy. But what will this “new normal” look like?
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Dave Hughes of Retire Fabulously: 50 Things You Can Do During the Pandemic
The following is reprinted with permission from RetireFabulously.com
By Dave Hughes
RetireFabulously.com
The most popular article on RetireFabulously.com has been the mega-list of 100 Things You Can Do After You Retire. After all, there’s no reason to be bored after you retire.Unfortunately, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some of those activities aren’t feasible because they involve interacting with groups of people in potentially unsafe situations.
But don’t despair! The glass is still half full. Half of the things on that list are still doable during these stay-at-home, socially distanced times.
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Dave Hughes of Retire Fabulously: How to Make the Best of Retirement in the Pandemic
The following is reprinted with permission from RetireFabulously.com
By Dave Hughes
It’s July 21, 2020, and the COVID-19 pandemic has been raging for at least four months now.I hope you are doing well and staying safe and sane, to the greatest extent possible.
Aside from the immediate impacts of the pandemic, many other aspects of your life have been upended and changed in one way or another. Many businesses are suffering, but some are booming. People are eating out less, working from home, driving less, buying more of some things and less of others, and so on. Almost every aspect of “normal” has been disrupted.
If you are not retired yet, your work situation has probably changed. You may be working from home or even furloughed. Depending on your line of work, you may be working extra hours.
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Dave Hughes: Your Retirement Has Changed – Perhaps for the Better
This article is reprinted with permission from RetireFabulously.com
Dave Hughes, Retire Fabulously
A couple weeks ago (mid-May, 2020), I was contacted by a writer for MarketWatch who was working on an article about “Retiree Resentment.” He was seeking input from experts on how retirees can reframe their resentment in a positive, proactive way.In order to give him the best information I could, I asked Retire Fabulously! subscribers to share their thoughts. I asked, “How has this pandemic changed how you feel about your retirement? Has this led you to adjust your plans or expectations for your retirement? If so, how?”
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Dave Hughes: It’s Time to Rethink What Makes a Good Place to Retire
This article first appeared at Retire Fabulously, reprinted with permission.
By Dave Hughes, Retire Fabulously
There are many factors that compete for your attention when it comes to deciding where you want to retire. You probably consider the climate, recreational amenities, cost of living, safety, and tax rates. Being close to your family and friends may be the most important factor for you.
Even if you’re pretty sure you want to continue living where you are, please keep reading.
There’s one consideration that I believe most people either underestimate or don’t think about at all. That is the quality of healthcare in the area where you choose to enjoy your retirement.
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Dave Hughes: Give Your Loved Ones Something to Remember
By Dave Hughes, Retire Fabulously
If you are like most of us, you probably don’t think much about how you will be remembered by your loved ones after you’re gone. But trust me – you will be missed and remembered more than you will ever know.Think about your loved ones who have already passed. Don’t you miss them? And don’t you wish you had more to remember them by? Wouldn’t it be nice to know a little more about their lives? Wouldn’t you love to hear more of their stories or have a better way of remembering them?
In the future, people will feel that way about you, too. So why not create something for them to remember you by? After all, nobody knows your life better than you.
There are many ways you can choose to document your life for others.
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Dave Hughes: Stay-At-Home Orders May Provide Preview of Retirement for Some
By Dave Hughes, Retire Fabulously
This article was written on April 2, 2020, about three months into the global COVID-19 pandemic. In the United States, most state governors have issued stay-at-home orders. Everyone except essential workers is urged to stay home and only venture forth to procure necessities, maintaining a distance of at least six feet from others. Soon, we will be asked to wear face masks. Some people already are.
First, I would like to express my most sincere gratitude for those who must go to work, often placing themselves in danger: those in the medical professions, grocery store employees, delivery drivers, etc. You are heroes!
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25 Great US Cities and Towns for LGBT Retirees
By Dave Hughes, RetireFabulously.com
This article is an excerpt from Dave Hughes’ new book, The Quest for Retirement Utopia: How to Find the Retirement Spot That’s Right for You.
When it comes to choosing a place to live during retirement, LGBT people want the same things that everyone else wants – safety, reasonable prices, agreeable climate, cultural and recreational amenities, and good healthcare.
However, LGBT people have a few additional factors to consider. Those include how tolerant an area is, the presence of a gay community, and healthcare providers that are welcoming towards LGBT people. Sadly, instances where LGBT patients are treated poorly and same-sex partners are denied visitation rights or decision-making rights in hospitals and nursing homes are still all too common.